"We believe the arrival of the PC's little brother [PCjr] is as significant and lasting a development in the history of computing as IBM's initial foray into microcomputing has proven to be."

Excerpt from an open letter by PC Magazine editors announcing the launch of PCjr Magazine in December 1983 (the model and the magazine lasted less than one year).

"Since no other laser printers were successfully tested, there was really no contest. Let's just call it the best printer reviewed in this issue. At $3,495, this one costs a third as much as its nearest competitor."

"'Flying a desk' is how Air Force types wryly describe command duties that keep them out of the cockpit. But the phrase takes on a whole new meaning when the desk in question is equipped with a Deskpro. It's an F-14: a data-superiority fighter for the desktop.... An 8086 clips along at Mach 2twice the speed of the PC. Payload? You bet. It offers 640K of RAM and 10 megabytes of hard disk."

"Desktop computers will lead to overall personal productivity increases of up to 20 percent."

"The applications 'backlog' will disappear."

"Executives will use the computer keyboard enthusiastically."

"Voice input is the sole remaining untapped innovation in computingand the most promising."

"I see nothing but good coming from computers. When they first appeared on the scene, people were saying, 'Oh my God, I'm so afraid.' I hate people like thatI call them neo-Luddites. They're just like the people who used to run into factories and beat up on machines with sticks. They say, 'The computer will know everything about you.' My response is, so what? I've got nothing to hide."

Ray Bradbury, author, part of the cover story "Other Voices, Other Futures" from January 8, 1985.

August 1986 First Looks is born, featuring a switch "that can speed up your PC's microprocessor to 12.5 MHz."

A: The general health of a given organization declines in direct proportion to its purchase of spreadsheets, with a one-month delay. The time lag appears to reflect difficulty in deciphering the manuals.

"In a field of powerhouse machines there can be only one winner: blazing 25-MHz performance in an industrial-strength package."

Excerpt from a review of the Advanced Logic Research ALR FlexCache 25386, the 1988 winner of the Technical Excellence Award in the desktop machines category, January 17, 1989.

1989 Oopsthis ran on the cover

"The introduction of OS/2 1.0 marks the start of an exciting time for the PC and PC applications. The 'OS/2 decade' has begun."

Charles Petzold, contributing editor, in "OS/2: A New Beginning for PC Applications," April 12, 1988.

"A funny thing's happening on the road to OS/2. Microsoft Windows has turned into the dazzling multitasking operating system that OS/2 is still struggling to become."

"We predict that Momenta will get its legs and become a long-term player."

Christopher Barr, senior editor, talking about the pen computing company in First Looks, April 28, 1992 (the company went bankrupt a few months later).

1997 PC Magazine Celebrates its 15th Anniversary

"I was writing an article for the 35th anniversary edition of another magazineElectronicsand they wanted me to predict the future of semiconductor components for the next ten years....I call that Year Zero, 1959 [the year with one planar transistor]. We'd gotten up to 64 in six yearsin 1965. So I said, 'Aha, it's been doubling every year.' I just said, 'Okay, it's going to continue to do that for ten years."

Gordon Moore, March 25, 1997.

"The promise of worldwide wireless communications for mobile phones and pagers will become a reality when the long-awaited Iridium project...begins commercial operation next year."

"What is the Internet economy? It's Priceline.com, where you name your own price for airline tickets."

Don Willmott, executive editor, in "The Internet Economy Will Take Over," June 22, 1999.

"'10, 2, and 4.' That was the Dr. Pepper slogan throughout the thirties... urging you to drink... three times a day. Dr. Pepper should complain about Microsoft's concept larceny, because Windows seems to crash on my PC at 10:00, 2:00, and 4:00."

April 24, 2001 2Roam's wireless development tool is chosen as our Editors' Choice. Within a few months, the company went out of business.

Gentlemen,

I have just wasted $2.95 on your Feb. 29, 1988 issue. The cover promised 'PC Labs Tests 55 Word Processors.' However, there was not a single word about word processors, but instead reviews of word processing software programs for those already possessing computers. This is misrepresentation! I want to buy a word processor.

About the Author

Davis D. Janowski is Lead Analyst for Web Applications and Software, charged with covering the likes of Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and millions of other Internet and Web companies. Prior to this, he served as Section Editor for Consumer Networking, GPS Products, Phones & PDAs (Mobile and VoIP); Associate Editor for Networking Infrastructure; and As... See Full Bio

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